drop the carafe! 1850 coffee. quality that's criminal. she's doing a tremendous disservice to the country. she hates the republican party she hates all of the people that voted for me >> president trump doling out a lump of coal to speaker nancy pelosi in a fiery christmas holiday threat from north korea. a chaotic christmas in the streets of hong kong as thousands of demonstrators spend the holiday protesting the government a royal reunion. prince philip leaves the hospital just in time to spend christmas with the queen as the crown acknowledges a rocky year for the royal family me-ow. "cats" star james corden breaks his silence about the new film after it was declawed by

critics. from the little town of bethlehem to the waves of virginia beach, how the world is celebrating christmas today. a very merry edition of "early today" starts right now. good morning i'm phillip mena >> and i'm dara brown. there is apparently no christmas break for the impeachment debate president trump is spending the holiday at mar-a-lago, where he took time on christmas eve to air his grievances about the entire process the president delivered a sharp rebuke to democrats accusing house speaker nancy pelosi of hating the entire republican party. the moment standing in sharp contrast to his holiday greetings to troops overseas nbc's jennifer johnson has more. >> reporter: from his florida home president trump holding a christmas eve video teleconference with five military units around the globe. >> you're tremendous warriors, and we appreciate it so much >> reporter: the president seeming unfazed by an unknown christmas gift promised by north korean leader kim jong un.

>> we'll see what happens. let's see. maybe it's a nice present. maybe it's a present where he sends me a beautiful vase. as opposed to a missile test right? >> reporter: but new satellite images show north koreans working on a nuclear test site capable of launching a long-range missile which could possibly hit the u.s. mainland kim publicly met with his top military leaders as u.s. military leaders tracked north korea's actions hour by hour >> they could undertake some sort of activity in the next day or the next week, and we'd have very little warning in advance of it. >> reporter: president trump also lashing out about another fight. his impeachment trial in the senate the president blasting democrats and house speaker nancy pelosi who is still withholding the articles of impeachment, insisting on a real trial. >> they treated us very unfairly and now they want fairness in the senate they want to look back at the raft yelast year to see how they've hurt this country. >> reporter: democrats are still demanding documents and witnesses. >> we say to president trump

release the e-mails, let your aides testify. we say to leader mcconnell, a fair trial with the facts. >> reporter: the president expressing confidence in majority leader mitch mcconnell, who has publicly said he's collaborating with the white house on how to proceed with the senate trial jennifer johnson, nbc news, washington chaos grips hong kong on christmas eve. thousands of anti-government protesters clashed with police in a shopping mall and on the streets. protesters smashed shop windows as scuffles broke out between them and the police. out on the streets police fired rounds of tear gas into the crowds it's been over six months now of anti-government protests they have simmered down for a bit, but they're now spiking back up with momentum growing into the new year. turning now to a bizarre mystery in idaho where a frantic search is under way for two missing siblings as police say their mother and her husband are refusing to cooperate with the investigation. nbc's steve patterson reports.

>> reporter: a grandmother's desperate plea >> show us the kids. >> reporter: authorities say kay valo's grntd children, 7-year-old joshua valo and tilie ryan were last seen in september near their home in rexburg, idaho. police say their mother laurie vallo and husband chad dabo are considered persons of interest after vallo misled authorities on joshua's whereabouts. the couple was married just weeks after dabo's then wife tammy was found dead in october. authorities, first believing her death was natural, but have since exhumed her remains for an autopsy after new evidence deemed it suspicious in arizona investigators are also looking at the deaths of valo's estranged husband and her brother both earlier this year the couple's attorney issued a statement saying "we look forward to addressing the allegations once they've moved beyond speculation and rumor." vallo say she's been

increasingly worried about the couple's extremist religious views. >> they're feeding off each other and not in a good way. >> reporter: a christmas cut off from loved ones, searching for any sign of hope >> we love you, j.j. and we love you tilee. and police come home >> reporter: steve patterson, nbc news now to the heartbreaking case of a murdered mother in texas. heidi broussard's newborn was kidnapped and her friend charged with the crime but baby margot is now back in her father's arms. here's nbc's sam brock with the latest >> reporter: a holiday gift for the family devastated by the loss of heidi broussard. baby margot now back with her father shane >> that's the best thing that could ever happen. ♪ silent night >> reporter: but this holiday also brings immeasurable pain. a vigil honoring heidi's life but without her parents, who returned to louisiana for funeral arrangements heidi's mother telling nbc news, "it hit us hard when we arrived home." realizing their daughter would never again walk through the

front door saying "mom, we're here." rachel west is one of heidi's closest friends. >> devastating is an understatement of what this is >> reporter: now questions about hadi's childhood friend magen humphrey the two met at church camp when they were 11 heidi's body was discovered in a car trunk on humphrey's property >> i'm feeling sadness, confusion, wanting to understand i talked to her the whole week heidi's missing. >> reporter: a baby registry in magen's name shows the same due date as heidi's. police remaining silent on any details of the investigation and humphrey's attorney did not respond to nbc's request for comment. >> baby margot >> reporter: palpable pain only softened by heidi's memory >> she's a light in complete and total darkness and she always will be >> reporter: sam brock, nbc news, austin now to the royal family's christmas, and there is news about where prince philip will be spending the holiday and who isn't going to be there to celebrate. and also who's missing from the photos seen during the queen's

christmas message. nbc's molly hunter is in london. >> reporter: after four nights in a london hospital 98-year-old prince philip has walked out just in time for a royal christmas. good news for a royal family in need of some holiday cheer >> once you get to that age -- >> reporter: prince philip will be home at sandringham for the queen's annual christmas message. she will allude to a rough year saying "the path of course is not always smooth and may at times this year have felt bumpy but small steps can make a world of difference. >> the queen herself has been dragged into a constitutional crisis over brexit so perhaps it's only wise that the mother of the nation kind of sets a very calming note >> reporter: speculation is rampant whether she's talking about the stark divisions over brexit or maybe divisions within her own family she's watched a sordid scandal engulf her son andrew and she's watched the relationship between

her grandsons bm strained. not her desk during the televised address a nod to the royal line of succession not pictured this year, harry and meghan and the palace just releasing this sweet video of four generations and three future kings all making christmas pudding. this year meghan and harry are spending christmas with meghan's mom in canada. we'll see will and kate, the queen, and hopefully a glimpse of prince philip with the rest of the royal family. molly hunter, nbc news, london people around the world are getting into the holiday spirit with christmas eve celebrations and traditions pope francis led the world's 1.3 billion catholics into christmas with a mass at the vatican the pontiff reminded the faithful that god loves everyone, even the worst of us he also called on catholics to be transformed by jesus's crazy love and to stop trying to change others. the church bells were ringing in bethlehem as worshippers gathered to celebrate the coming of christmas at the traditional site of jesus's birth.

hundreds of tourists from around the world attended that midnight service. meanwhile, in florida hundreds of santa's helpers spent christmas eve catching some waves it was the tenth annual surfing santas event in the ocean and the beach full of surfers wearing santa hats and some of them even wearing santa suits. and the grinch he was out there too trying to steal christmas. when he showed up at the annual santa water-skiing event in virginia he took to the water here on his cool jet-ski looks like he nabbed somebody's balloon before he took off in a triumphant way look at that he's so proud of himself >> he just stole that. >> he's the grinch that's what he does. it's a more than 30-year tradition in virginia. >> looks like he's having a great time >> yeah, on a jet-ski. >> janessa webb joins us with the holiday forecast janessa, good morning. >> good morning. merry christmas. and merry christmas to everybody. we're going to continue to see very warm temperatures across the midwest into the northeast this morning waking up to a

little bit of a chill. you need a light coat handy. temperatures new york city 35 degrees. boston currently at 33 we'll continue to see warm air, though, make its way across chicago into st. louis as well not seeing a white christmas just an abundance of sunshine. high of 68 for today many of these temperatures, folks, are about 20 to 25 degrees above average. even pittsburgh a high midwest. lots of sunshine for the central texas. a high of 73 you know, phillip was asking me is it kind of a quiet weather pattern? giving me a break. that's a nice gift thank you. >> all is quiet. it's not going to be a white christmas, i think mild

temperatures are the second best thing, second best way to go thanks, janessa. so thanks to two heroic firemen it will be a very merry christmas for a lucky dog. this poor pup fell through the ice in the middle of a pond in wisconsin. but two brave firefighters rushed in to elp, at one point breaking through the ice themselves they eventually managed to get the dog out of the frigid water. it looks like the pup's hind legs a little frozen but they say everyone made it home without any injuries io> just ahead, battling the opid crisis with cross-fit b les. it's superior grease-cleaning formula gets to work faster. making easy work of tough messes. dawn is a go-to grease-cleaner throughout the kitchen, too. keep a bottle in the laundry room to pre-treat greasy stains. and keep dawn in the garage to lift grease off car rims. it's even gentle enough to clean wildlife affected by oil. dawn's grease cleaning power takes care of tough grease wherever it shows up. scrub less and save more... with dawn. " when better chickens are hatched, we will hatch them."

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to be ashamed of what you've done >> come on that a girl. beautiful. >> reporter: instructor dale king grew up in portsmouth, ohio, went to college and then the service. when he got home, he didn't like what he saw. his city, his neighbors devastated by the opioid crisis. >> how much had your town changed? >> to me it was almost unrecognizable i see all these signs for pain clinic, pain clinic. and then like there was no businesses anywhere. >> let's go! >> reporter: he was introduced to cross-fit in the military now in portsmouth he trains people in recovery and he provides jobs in his gym and his ointment company nicole maynard has fought her way through enough cross-fit classes to fall in love with it. it's not a stretch to say it's helping save her life. where would you be if you weren't sober now? >> i really don't know

probably homeless. i might not even be here i might have been dead already >> reporter: a short walk from dale's gym, a brew pub opened downtown tim wolfe's army engineering unit helped rebuild iraq he figured why not do the same thing in his hometown? so you come back to portsmouth, decide you're going to be in the development business did anybody say you're nuts because this town is over? >> and they're still saying that everybody questions the investment all the time. but if this is our home, we have no other choice but to fix it up or you let it fall down around you. >> reporter: if not us who, say these vets tim now has 18 people in recovery working for him literally rebuilding the town he and dale king love >> this will be the greatest comeback in any small town i guarantee it >> reporter: a new spirit for a city and its people.

harry smith, nbc news, portsmouth, ohio >> i love that up next, a tale of survival as we return to an island in the bahamas that was devastated by hurricane dorian and one "cats" co-star is ruffling some whiskers revealing what he really thinks of the film that's because your home is filled with soft surfaces that trap odors and release them back into the room. so, try febreze fabric refresher febreze finds odors trapped in fabrics (bubbles popping) and cleans them away as it dries. use febreze every time you tidy up to keep your whole house smelling fresh air clean. fabric refresher even works for clothes you want to wear another day. make febreze part of your clean routine for whole home freshness. ♪la la la la la. ♪when you have nausea, heartburn, indigestion,♪ ♪upset stomach, diarrhea. try pepto liquicaps for fast relief and ultra-coating. ♪nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea.♪ get powerful relief with pepto bismol liquicaps.

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as the decade comes to a close, we want to know what you think was the biggest story of

the 2010s. go to nbcnews.com/decadestories and tell us. >> so many to choose from. >> so many all right. in the bahamas the government's official death toll from hurricane dorian stands at 70 but in the wake of the massive destruction local officials believe hundreds more may have died on hard-hit great abaco we sent kerrie sanders back to the island, where people there are still struggling >> reporter: almost four months after hurricane dorian flattened and flooded great abaco island life here remains a struggle >> is there water? >> no, there's no water. >> reporter: no water, no power, no sewer every structure on the island still damaged or destroyed >> where did you ride the storm out? >> right inside here >> reporter: matthew taylor hoped to have a roof on his murphytown home by now but on this island 90 miles long, at its widest only four miles wide for about 9,000 survivors who are now here

trying to rebuild, needed supplies are scarce. >> my work is on hold because of nails. >> reporter: you don't have nails. >> i'm out of the nails that i need >> reporter: the hardware store like most of this island looks today as it did the day after the hurricane. so here in murphytown you feel >> forgotten >> reporter: forgotten, say survivors, by the government in the untouched capital of nassau. >> this area here was -- >> reporter: dale hill is an elected council member how do you respond to people who say the bahamian government has failed them? >> the bahamian government has failed them. >> reporter: the most asked question here is when? when will things in the impact zone get back to normal? government officials say because we are on an island and it takes a long time get supplies here that answer is a moving target but probably years nearly 100 million charity dollars have been donated or committed to help survivors. frustration here mounts amid few visible signs of progress. kerry sanders, nbc news, great

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corden plays feline bustipher jones in the feline adaptation which is now considered a box office bomb. in its opening weekend "cats" earned about $6 million and that is a problem because it cost them 95 million to make it >> ree-er. >> that's not bad. pretty good. $89 million loss on something like that. >> amazing janessa, how's it look out there for christmas? >> merry christmas let's take a look at your forecast near record highs across much of the country. 2/3 of it. northwest we do have a storm system that's brewing. going to bring you widespread snow from seattle all the way down to california so enjoy temperatures well above normal >> we will >> thank you up next, he's a rebel without a claus. this elf flies high and there's no reindeer needed merry christmas.

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and we're back with a christmas celebration that is truly a family affair. nbc's blayne alexander shows us the spectacular display of lights, all for a good cause >> reporter: even from santa's sleigh christmas on the moody family's lawn is enough to stop you in your tracks >> i love everything it's so colorful >> reporter: more than just twinkling lights, this is a full-on production with thousands of people filling the streets in a single night. >> my favorite part about this beautiful house is all the people that come here to celebrate christmas. >> reporter: for decades it's been a must-see holiday tradition in columbus, georgia all thanks to one

christmas-loving couple. jerry and edith moody. >> we tell everybody it was love at first light >> reporter: their son keith has been helping since he was old enough to walk >> when they're relaxing on the beach, we're hanging christmas lights up on the roof. >> so christmas is literally year round >> yeah. >> reporter: 20 miles of cords and 500,000 lights the festivities are free but with one request help brighten another child's life >> thank you, merry christmas. >> reporter: the moodys collect donations for make a wish foundation so far raising more than $140,000 >> we do this for our kids, everybody else's kids, and kids that are up to 99. >> it gets me emotional. but it's a good emotion because i know the good that comes out of it. >> reporter: a shining example of the holiday spirit. blayne alexander, nbc news >> merry christmas >> reporter: columbus, georgia

>> that's so sweet you know, it's funny, the son didn't look like he was too enthused after all these years he was kind of born into it. he's like while everybody else is out doing this we're doing this but the rest of the neighborhood is sure thankful >> it looks fantastic. >> you can tell they put all that work into it. we know santa has some flying reindeer but check out this flying elf one of santa's little helpers making a surprise appearance yesterday in spain he somehow managed to keep his christmas hat on look at that this giant wind tunnel, no less. a massive crowd of kids gathering to watch the airborne elf, who also collected some very last-minute letters to santa. australians are bringing christmas to the beach beachgoers were met with christmas trees in the sand and lifeguards in santa hats at sydney's bondi beach, where it's the dead of summer right now despite all the devastation from the australian wildfires, their holiday spirit remains intact. >> how about that? 80 degrees on the beach in santa hats >> sounds pretty good right now. >> sure does >> thanks for waking up with us

on this christmas morning. i'm dara brown >> and i am phillip mena from our "early today" family here to yours, we wish you a here to yours, we wish you a very happy and safe holiday. whether you were borne for more dance-offs... more travels... or more touchdowns. get the immune support that gives you more. airborne gummies have 50% more vitamin-c than emergen-c... plus our crafted blend of vitamins, minerals and herbs. airborne. ♪ you've got something up your sleeve ♪ ♪ what you didn't know was you were surprising ♪ ♪ your father-in-law steve

♪ the best part of wakin' up is folgers in your cup ♪ anything but a silent night for president trump. his fiery message to nancy pelosi amid the impeachment battle plus his response to the christmas threat from north korea. >> and stores rfr hong kong as a new wave of anti government protests sweep the city. >> and prince phillip returns home for christmas with his family from midnight mass to fun in the sun, how the world is celebrating christmas today. >> and he already proved to america he got talent. we will catch up